Jeremy Abbott

Hey Jeremy! First of all, congratulations on getting so far! Before we start talking about the Olympics though, let’s back track a bit. How did you start ice-skating?
When I was really young, my mum would take me to the ice-skating rink in my home town for public sessions, and fun. When I was 4, I saw Robin Cousin perform in a competition and fell in love with his work, so asked my mum to take professional lessons.

Wow! So you’ve been skating for quite a while!
Yeah!

Do you still feel the same love for ice-skating as you did all those years ago?
Oh definitely! I love to skate so much!

What other competitions have you participated in, excluding the Olympics?
I’ve been in the World Championships twice, the US Championships, the Grand Prix Final, and many more!

Impressive! So…the Olympics…Vancouver 2010…what has the experience been like?
It’s been so cool! Getting to meet athletes from around the world, and not just figure skaters, has been inspiring, and so much fun! To walk around the village and see people from different countries and teams, all here with one goal in common…it’s great!

Unfortunately you didn’t perform as well as you wanted to. Was it nerves?
I wasn’t more nervous than in any other competition. I think my head wasn’t in the right spot. It’s just a lack of experience, but after this competition I’m taking home so much more, and I’m really looking forward to the World Championships.

Still you must be proud! You’re an Olympian! Mistakes happen unfortunately…
Yeah.

When ice-skating, if something goes wrong, is it hard to keep going?
It’s frustrating and it’s hard sometimes, but you train too hard and too long to just give up. Life doesn’t end there. There’s always an opportunity and another chance.

Jeremy Abbott

How was the training for the Olympics? I’m guessing quite a few hours in the rink…
Well I’ve been training very hard this season, so nothing changed between Nationals and Olympics. But you do train the whole season.

Now you just get to enjoy the rest of the Olympics. What are you most looking forward to?
I really want to see Aerials.

Out of all the moves you do, which is your favourite?
That’s hard…I love everything! I love to jump and spin…I love footwork! I love to create new movements…I love everything!

What advice would you give to upcoming ice skaters?
Never let setbacks keep you from your goal. If you work hard enough, you can eventually achieve anything.

What’s in store for your future now?
I have the World Championships in a month, so I start training tomorrow. I’m going to make sure I train properly, so that my mind is in the proper mindset for Worlds so I can redeem myself for the disappointing performance. I really want to show that I belong on the podium and I’m a strong contender. This experience has given me a lot, and has made me hungrier for the sport. I don’t ever want to let this happen again. I’m going to go into each performance with a lot more fight and aggression, and I’ll never allow my goals to just slip away, as greatly as they did here.

Thank you so much for your time, and good luck with everything! You can contact Jeremy through his twitter at www.twitter.com/jeremyabbottpcf